EDITORIALS

• Imran Khan’s negative statements against the institutions are becoming a point of concern for the entire nation. But his comments in the Faisalabad rally on Sunday regarding the appointment of the Pak Army Chief were very negative and against the national interests. A person who had been a Prime Minister has some responsibilities even after leaving the post. But he is continuously degrading and insulting national institutions. Pak army has strongly reacted to his recent statement regarding the appointment of the army Chief. So did political and public circles and the judiciary. Imran Khan has lost all decency after losing power. (Edits-Dunya Daily, Jasarat, Daily Pakistan)

• No one can doubt Imran Khan’s immense popularity. But that does not give him license to speak out anything against any one and against any institution. He keeps issuing statements against at times against judiciary and at times against security institutions. He seems to be heading to isolation now that he is crossing all limits of decency. He should not forget that no person, no matter how much powerful or popular, cannot be more powerful than the State. Imran Khan can see it in Karachi’s most powerful man Altaf Hussain, who could shut down Karachi with just one call. But, when conditions changed, he has become almost a forgotten entity to all including his partymen. Imran Khan should not go to the point of no return. He should be mature enough keeping in view the conditions and the need of the hour and should keep sanctity of institutions above all. (Ibrat, Edit) 

• Despite the day and night efforts of the civil administration, the three wings of the armed forces, and other relief agencies, there are thousands of flood-affected areas where relief supplies could not reach due to inundation of roads and railway lines. This is the biggest problem before the nation at the moment.  (Edit Jang)

• Now that the decision has been taken by Sindh authorities to divert Manchar lake waters, question is: Why this decision was not taken earlier? If government and administration had clear strategy and if such decisions were taken earlier, conditions would not have deteriorated to this extent and scenario would have been different. Incidentally, what is the guarantee that even giving this diversion of routes of water will save cities like Sevan and other parts of Sindh from drowning? Because of delay in taking decisions, Manchar lake is overflowing and it has no more capacity for water intake. According to experts, right now 20,000 cusecs is going into Manchar Lake and because of diversion, 10,000 to 15,000 cusec is released. Hopefully, the Sindh government will keep its promise of taking care of people likely to be affected by diversion of waters and such families will remain safe. Though people have not received any help so far, we should not give up hope that authorities will not leave people in lurch in case diversion of waters takes any toll. (Pahenji, Edit, Sept.5) 

• Now, it is almost 11 years since the 2011 floods, but neither bureaucrats nor our elected representatives gave attention to learn from that calamity or tried to come to grips with record-breaking rain and floods and avert huge losses, both in terms of men and material. The end result is: the poor continue to bear the brunt of the calamity. This time devastation is too colossal to be measured. To add to peoples’ woe, instead of owning any responsibility, government says: “What to do! The current calamity is natural phenomenon”. One simple answer to such observations is: If all this is indeed a natural phenomenon, why only poor are made to suffer? Why only their homes collapse, why they only lose lives in these calamities? It is time the government starts paying attention and takes care of all those affected in floods and also of others likely to get affected by the diversion of Manchar Lake waters. (Kawish, Edit, Sept.5) 

• Sindh people have rejected Imran’s call for Kalabagh dam. We think reasons for current flood in country is not absence of dams, but absence of good planning. If all natural outlets were open and if waters were diverted, we would not have suffered colossal losses in the current floods. It is time we stopped doing politics on dams. (Sindh Exp, Edit)    

• The current situation is that all four provinces of the country are suffering from the destruction caused by floods. Land connectivity between northern and southern parts of the country is either disconnected or limited. Millions have lost their homes, livestock and jobs and they are waiting for a messiah. Since independence, Pakistan has experienced several devastating floods. Can these floods be successfully prevented? It is absolutely possible in today’s age of science and technology. This flood water passes through the hills of Kashmir and enters the plains of Pakistan and wreaks havoc there. Flood water can be successfully contained in these mountains. Electricity can be generated from this water. This water floods the lands and produces many valuable food items. Kala Bagh Dam can be constructed as per the wishes of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistanis living in Sindh will benefit the most from the construction of Kala Bagh Dam. If Kala Bagh dam is built then our beloved Sindh and other areas will be protected from the destruction of floods forever. Due to the construction of Mangala Dam, underground water has reached several miles. New water springs have sprung up. Areas where people used to yearn for drop by drop of water, today have water taps and tube wells. The support provided by friendly countries and the international community in relief activities is commendable. It is also good that our political leadership realizes that this is not the time to get involved in political issues. All attention should be focused on the relief to and rehabilitation of the flood victims. (Edit, Daily Express)

• School bus fees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have seen a hike of upto 80% after the hike in diesel price. This has naturally upset parents, who are already reeling under high rate of inflation. KP Chief Minister KP should intervene and ensure a roll back of school bus fees. Also ensure a refund of the hiked fee already collected.  (Daily Pakistan Edit)

• There are complaints from biomedical engineering students, especially girl students, that they don’t get internship stipend nor opportunity to work in good hospitals. They say that if they are encouraged and are given funds and other amenities, they can work wonders and get recognition to the country. Hence, these girl students should be encouraged and given allowances and internship opportunities so that they can play their role during global epidemic outbreaks. We hope minister for health will give attention to biomedical students’ outcry. (Ibrat, Edit) 

NEWS

• On behalf of the World Majlis Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwat (Tandu Aliyar), a rally was taken out from Madrasa Siddique Akbar to Liaquat Gate under the leadership of Qari Rashid Mehboob. Addressing the rally, the Ulema said that the Qadianis are the non-Muslim minority under the constitution and Shariat. If anyone talks about giving any kind of concession to the Qadianis, he is committing treason against the constitution of Pakistan. The Qadiani are the main enemies of Islam as well as Pakistan and have been supporters of Akhand Bharat since Pakistan Movement. (Jasarat)

• The ISPR said that there is deep anger in the Pakistan Army over the defamatory and highly unnecessary statement made by Chairman PTI about the senior leadership of the Pakistan Army during a political rally in Faisalabad. The ISPR statement said that there is a clear procedure in the constitution for the appointment of the army chief. However, the attempt by senior politicians to make this position controversial is very unfortunate. (Ummat, Daily Jinnah, Daily Express, Nawaiwaqt)

• Senior PTI Vice President, Fawad Chaudhary has said that Imran Khan was talking about appointment of next Army chief on a merit basis. The army is a respected institution. In past, the PDM had strongly criticized it. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, he said that the present imported government is a minority government. People, especially the youth hate these thieves. You can’t bring changes in the country through riots and conspiracies. Since the time Nawaz Sharif and Zardari joined hands, they can’t see anything except Imran Khan. The only problem for PDM is Imran Khan. They want him to get disqualified from contesting elections. Because they know they can’t fight him politically. (Dunya Daily)

• Four terrorists and five soldiers, including a captain, were killed during an operation in Aam area of Boya district of North Waziristan.  Arms and ammunition have been recovered from the possession of the dead terrorists. The slain terrorists were involved in terrorist acts against the security forces and killed innocent civilians, according to ISPR. (Jasarat, Jang, Ummat, Daily Jinnah, Daily Express, Nawaiwaqt)
• On a tip off, Bhana Mari police, Peshawar, have arrested four armed suspects. One of them belongs to Afghanistan, while the others are residents of Peshawar. From their possession, a modern automatic weapon, one Kalashnikov and four pistols were seized. (Daily Pakistan)

• PML-N Vice President, Mariam Nawaz has become active for the by-polls on the direction of her father and party supremo, Nawaz Sharif. She will address meetings in different districts. She will hold her first meeting in Sheikhupura on 6th September. According to sources, she will have meetings with the local leaders before the rallies. By-polls for one national assembly seat and 2 Punjab assembly seats will be held on 11th September. While on 25th September by-polls will be held for 9 national assembly seats.  (Intekhab Daily)

• The Chief of Jamaat e Islami (Karachi), Hafiz Naeem Ur Rahman has said that the Sindh government has left its citizens to the mercy of armed robbers and thieves.  Eight youths were killed in four days by armed robbers. It is a matter of great concern. It puts a question mark on the performance of government and the police. Crimes are increasing rapidly but the police are busy with the protocol of ministers. If the Sindh government and its departments do not perform their duties properly, Jamaat e Islami will gherao the police stations.  (Dunya Daily)

• Residents of Gharibabad on Dalazak Road Peshawar blocked the Dalazak Road, protesting against the shutdown of sui gas, electricity load shedding and non-availability of drinking water. (Urdu Point)

• Pakistan is likely to come out of the FATF grey list in the first week of October. The FATF team returned after visiting Pakistan. According to media reports, Pakistan’s chances of getting out of the grey list have become brighter. (Jasarat)

• The reason for the fall in the value of the rupee is increase in dollar smuggling, according to Zafar Pracha, secretary general of the Exchange Companies Association. Dollars from, Pakistan are also being used for Afghanistan’s imports. The price of the dollar in Afghanistan is 10 rupees more than in Pakistan, and hawala and ‘hundi’ business is also done through Afghanistan. (Jang)

• In a letter to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the Transparency International Pakistan has alleged that oil and gas assets of ENI Pakistan worth more than 400 million dollars were sold at throw away price and that it resulted in a loss of 75 million dollars in taxes to the national exchequer. (Nawaiwaqt, Ummat)

• IMF says this year Pakistan needs financing of 30.75 billion dollars. According to IMF, Pakistan is likely to receive 16.61 billion dollars in commercial loans. Pakistan will get 14.39 billion dollars from IMF and other institutions. Foreign direct investment of 2.16 billion dollars is likely. (Daily Express, Ummat)

• 20 people including 2 Russian diplomats were killed and many were injured in a blast near the Russian embassy in Kabul. According to reports, the suicide bomber blew himself up at the gate of the Russian embassy. At the time of the blast, a large number of people were present at the embassy seeking visas. (Nawaiwaqt, Daily Jinnah, Ummat)

COLUMNS

• The class which has been advocating free trade with India by keeping aside historical conflicts sees an opportunity in the latest floods to push its case.  After the Pulwama attack in February 2019, India announced the termination of Pakistan’s Most Favored Nation status. This decision increased Pakistan’s import and export duties by 200 percent. Thus, despite not banning trade with Pakistan, the trade process was made more difficult by increasing the duty, but a few months later, after the Indian decision of August 5 on Kashmir, Pakistan practically stopped the trade. However, Imran Khan, as Prime Minister had taken a strong position despite the pressure from America and Arab countries to continue trade ties with India.  Now the current government has given an indication of resumption of trade. In all this, the Kashmir issue would be forgotten. (Arif Bahar, Jasarat)

• The current floods have sunk almost same parts of Sindh that had drowned in 2010 floods. If we do not investigate the reasons for this and fix responsibility, there is no guarantee that we will not face the problem for the third time. There is no party in Sindh which can fix accountability. If courts come forward to fix accountability for current floods, that will be good idea. Can Sindh High Court take suo moto notice of big floods in Sindh and appoint a fact-finding commission comprising experts and courageous people to look into all aspects of floods without any fear or favor? Well, this is very much possible, and it should be done. Sindh has suffered immensely and only compensation for the colossal loss is fixing accountability for these floods. (Sindh Exp. Aijaz Mungi) 

• The big losses being suffered in floods speak of absolute mismanagement on the part of Sindh authorities. The conditions are beyond control of national disaster management teams or their counterparts in the provinces. Our coming generations will get to read human tragedies from current floods in global histories. We just shudder at the very thought of what if this kind of conditions continue for long.  A hungry man will never hesitate to take anyone’s life. When you see your near and dear ones dying, the options before you in such a situation are: Either die or kill other person to survive through such challenging times. This is nothing but a natural reaction when conditions around you are intimidating. It is still not much late. We must start planning to avert such human tragedies in the making. If we do not fix priorities right, Sindh will be heading to widespread lawlessness. (Sindh Exp. Gulam Rasool Barfat)       

• Despite reports from experts and also notwithstanding court orders to remove encroachments, the PPP government could not bring any reforms in the Sindh drainage system during its 15-year rule. In fact, it preferred “criminal” silence on the matter. There was much to learn from 2010 floods. But the Sindh rulers did not take any lessons. Result:  the 2022 mayhem. It too will pass. If authorities do not want to see recurring floods, they will have to build effective and strong drainage system on both sides of the Indus without any more delay and also get all the encroachments of influential people on river bed removed. In short, the government must deal with violators as per laws of the land. If nothing of this sort is to be done and if things are allowed to remain unchanged, nobody can save Sindh’s agriculture and Sindh economy, nobody can save us from heart-rending poverty and maddening devastation. (Mahsaan B. in   Kawish, Sept.5) 

• People are already reeling under steep inflation; the onset of floods have only added to their misery. In such situations, people will either transform their frustration and anger against authorities into big protests or suffer quietly without questioning the political leadership for the sorry state of affairs. Entire Sindh is witnessing that people are getting no relief. It is youth, socio-political activists, intelligentsia, doctors, advocates, media persons and people from other walks of life who are seen moving around and collecting donations for financial help to needy. The authorities have completely failed in reaching out to the distressed with any relief. (Kawish, Latif Jamal, Sept.5) 

• There is an idiom in English that says ‘The king can do no wrong’. Anybody can commit mistakes but the king can’t because in those day the king was considered a god. Times have changed. Kings have lost their divine status throughout the world. But in Pakistan for the last five months, an atmosphere is being created that everybody can commit mistakes but not Imran Khan. The leaders of ML-N and PPP can be blamed for anything. But a finger can’t be raised against Imran Khan. He is free to say whatever he wants to say. Nobody can stop him. The statement of American involvement in the change of government, allegations against the institutions, prohibited funding cases, sale of Toshakhana gifts, hiding assets from the Election Commission or any other matter, his followers are not ready to accept any allegation. Imran Khan threatens top police officers and judges, but his followers don’t think that it is against the law. They think that Imran Khan is the only honest leader in the country whatever he does is right. Now the IMF has said in its report that the reason for the falling economy was Imran Khan’s deviation from the promises he had made to the IMF. Will Imran Khan answer the charge?  (Anjum Farooq in Dunya Daily)   

• PTI Chairman Imran Khan continues to apply the ideology of a religious preacher (Hazrat Ganj Bakhsh, 11th-century Persian Sunni preacher from Ghazna) in his public speeches. He does not mention of the name of the preacher though. He describes the anatomy of fear and the details of removing this fear from the heart. The wise man who has explained the meaning of fear to Khan is the same as what Data Ganj Bakhsh was saying. The words of Hazrat-e-Data are: “When a stone begins to think of itself as glass, it really becomes glass and begins to break at the slightest touch.” If a passerby considers himself weak and helpless, robbers and thieves will soon end his life. The enemy is a cloud that rains openly on the cultivation of a person and makes it lush and green by growing the abilities and capabilities that lie dormant in it. (Lt. Colonel Retired Ghulam Jilani Khan in Daily Pakistan, Sept 5, 2022)

• 150 days have passed since the current coalition government came to power. But its apathy is increasing instead of decreasing. Two tranches were received from the IMF but the regime is not providing relief to the people like the previous Imran government did. The flood-affected people are not getting full assistance from any provincial government, but there are only many empty claims. Help to the victims by welfare organizations has become a problem because water is everywhere.  The officials made this disaster a source of income.  Fake victims joined the real victims. Those who used to beg in different cities reached the affected areas to collect ration. Black marketers and profiteers are making a killing by doubling the prices of everything including tents. But no one is going to ask them. Everywhere there is apathy. (Mohammed Saeed Arain in Daily Express) ###